Cordwinder for a floor care machine



Ap'il 28, 1970 P. E. GAUDRY L 3,503,721

CORDWINDER FOR A FLOOR CARE MACHINE.

Original Filed June 20, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Paul. 15. GHUDEY fnaunzo aunt) PAY/"ONO 550495015 Jams Q/voaesa/v THEIR ATTORNEY Ag 28, 1970 P. E. GAUDRY ETAL 3,508,721

CORDWINDER FOR A FLOOR CARE MACHINE.

Original Filed Jun 20, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Paul. E. GIN/DE) fool/men uneY P01010410 DE 9:215:

mass Fin/0525M! THUR ATTOHVE'Y April 28, 1970 P. E. GAUDRY ETAL 3,508,721

CORDWINDER FOR A FLOOR CARE MACHINE.

Original Filed June 20, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS THEIR ATTORNEY April 28, 1970 P. E. GAUDRY TAL 3,508,721

CORDWINDER FOR A FLOOR CARE MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed June 20, 1967 INVENTORS Pm/A f. 60002) foauneo Gfll/OEY EnYnan/o 055002216 James HMO-5250A! April 28, 1970 P. E. GAUDRY ET AL 3,508,721

CORDWINDER FOR A FLOOR CARE MACHINE Original Filed June 20, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS R904 5 6790021 [nausea 600027 Ravine/m Usenet/E: JnMEJ Riv/05250 Maw/4L THEIR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,508,721 CORDWINDER FOR A FLOOR CARE MACHINE Paul E. Gaudry, Laval des Rapides, Quebec, Edouard Gaudry, Cite St. Laurent, Quebec, Raymond Descarries, Montreal, Quebec, and James Anderson, Baie dDurfe, Quebec, Canada, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Consolidated Foods Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Maryland Original application June 20, 1967, Ser. No. 647,378. Divided and this application Dec. 19, 1968, Ser.

Int. Cl. B65h 75/48 US. Cl. 242107.6 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cordwinder for a household appliance, such as a floor care machine; a reel having a hub and a pair of spaced flanges extending radially from the hub. A cord is wound and unwound from the hub and confined between the flanges. The reel is received in a cordwinder tray defining an annular well Within which the reel is loosely fitted. A ball bearing supports the reel in the tray by Virtue of a ball race which is integral with the tray and a second ball race formed integral with the reel.

This application is a division of Ser. No. 647,378, filed June 20, 1967.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improved, combination floor polisher-rug scrubber having an integrated, unitized construction to facilitate manufacturing assembly and repair by relatively unskilled persons who can replace defective and worn parts in situ in a quick and simplified manner.

The cordwinder assembly comprises a tray within which the cord reel or spool is housed on a replaceable ball bearing having a simplified and improved ball retainer. The tray also removably mounts the spring motor and a skew axis gear train for driving the cord reel to wind-up or reel-in the electric cord for the machine.

Between the tray and motor stator, circuit components are provided which automatically electrically couple the electric cord and the stator when the machine is being assembled or when repaired in situ.

In view of the above, one object of the invention is to provide a combined floor polisher-rug washer having an integrated, unitized construction to facilitate assembly during manufacture and quick and simple removal of parts for repair purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a floor polisher-rug scrubber which is less bulky in size and appearance than the known machines.

Another object of the invention is to provide safety features for a machine of the type noted so that the user can change brushes without accidentally turning the machine on while connected to a wall outlet.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved cordwinder for floor polishers and other mobile electric machines having electric cords.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact skew axis gear drive for a cordwinder.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cord reel per se.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating details of construction of the cord reel shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view of a spring motor sub-assembly in operative position with the cord reel and cordwinder tray.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, partly broken away to show details of circuit units, including a switch, incorporated in the spring motor sub-assembly.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the opposite end of the spring motor sub-assembly shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 is a partly sectioned rear elevational view of the spring motor sub-assembly shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the pinion of the spring motor sub-assembly seen in FIGS. 4 to 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 9, 9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of the housing of the cordwinder unit as shown broken away in FIG. 4.

FIG. 11 is a partly crosss-sectioned view of the completely assembled base unit of a floor care machine according to the invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing further assembly details of a floor care machine according to the invention.

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of the ball bearing support for the cord reel (FIG. 1) within the cordwinde tray (FIGS. 4 and 10).

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a ball bearing and its cage or retaining shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 the flange a of the reel 35 carries a pair of spaced conductor rings 39 which are held in place on the flange 35a by snapping the ring into the configured recess 39a having opposed lips 39b. The lips are deformed by the ring as it is pushed into the recess and by properly dimensioning the recess 39a and ring 39 the lips 39b retain the ring 39 in the recess 39a. The cord 36 is attached to the rings 39 by a solderless connector 36a which are crimped onto an exposed conductor of the cord in known fashion. The connectors 36a are brought up through a pair of openings 35b in the flange 35 and the open semi-cylindrica portion of the connector is positioned in a cut out or recess 35c contiguous with the openings 35b. The semicylindrical portion of the connectors 36 receive the associated ring when it is snapped in place on the flange as noted above.

FIG. 4 is a view in which a spring motor unit, generally designated 40, is shown in position relative to the cordwinder reel. As seen in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 the spring motor assembly 40 includes a horizontal U-shaped bracket 41 which is aflixed to the platform 34 of the tray 32 in any suitable manner. The bracket 41, which consists of insulating material is suitably configured and ribbed for rigidity, and supports a take-up drum 42 and a driving drum 43 suitably journalled for rotation. The driving drum 43 has an axially extending hub portion 43a to which a pinion gear 44 is affixed as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. As indicated by center lines X and Y, the horizontal axis of rotation in vertical plane X of the pinion gear 44 is otfset or skewed with respect to the vertical axis of rotation Y of the face gear 38 on the hub 37 of the cordwinder reel 35. The takeup drum 42 and driving drum 43 are closely adjacent to each other and the diameter of the take-up drum 42 is smaller than the diameter of the driving drum 43. A constant torque spring 45 for example the type known under the trademark Negator of Hunter Spring Co., is spirally wound on the takeup drum 42 and one end of the spring 45 is attached to the driving drum 43 in any suitable manner. The teeth of the pinion gear 44 are beveled and mesh with the likewise beveled teeth of the ring gear 38 as indicated in FIG. 6. The ring gear 38 and pinion gear 44 define a skew axis gear train. That is, the axes of rotation of the meshed gtars 38, 44 do not intersect and are non-parallel. In addition the axis of rotation of the pinion gear 44 is inclined at an angle B (FIG. to the horizontal. Further, the pinion gear 44 straddles the ring gear 38 since it is located in a plane forming a chord of the circle defined by the ring gear and therefore the teeth of the ring gear 38 are beveled downwardly in a direction away from the axis of rotation of the ring gear i.e. the plane of the beveled ring gear defines an upright cone having its apex elevated above the gear 38 on the axis of rotation of the reel, and the pinion gear 44 is beveled to define a cone having its apex within the hub 37 of the reel 35. The teeth of both the ring gear 38 and the pinion gear 44 are inclined relative to their respective axes of rotation. By virtue of the skew axis gear train described above a compact spring motor drive for the cord reel having the necessary gear reduction (2:1) and low friction, smooth running gears is obtained.

In operation, as the electric cord is unwound from the reel 35 the spring 45 is wound up on the driving drum 43. A detent 46 (FIG. 7) is mounted on the bracket 41 concentric with the driving drum journal and engages a pawl or dog 47 pivotally mounted on the driving drum 43. The dog 47 influenced by gravitation locks the driving drum when the length of cord desired has been drawn from the reel and the detent recess is positioned to receive the pawl. When the detent is released the cord 36 is wound back up on the reel 35 which is now driven 'by the pinion 44 via the drum 43 and spring 45, the latter being taken up on the drum 42.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 the bracket 41 of the spring motor assembly carries a pair of diametrically disposed spring contacts 48a and 48b that engage the slip rings 39 of the reel 35. Thus, one pair of spring contacts engages one slip ring 39 and the other pair engages the other slip ring 39. The spring contacts 48a and 48b are connected with the lead-in conductors strips 49a and 49b respectively each of which terminate in a pair of free ends 490 (FIGS. 4 and 7). When the cordwinder unit and associated spring motor assembly 40 are lowered into place on the base plate 6 the free ends 490 (FIG. 7) of the lead-in conductors make contact with the connectors or clips which are crimped to the ends of the coil conductors.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 4 and 5 it will be seen that the circuit including lead-in conductor 4% from the electric cord 36 via slip rings and contacts 48a, 48b includes a snap acting switch 50 having a weighted actuator generally designated 51. The switch 50 may be of any suitable known type. The actuator 51 is pivotally mounted on the bracket 41 for rotation about axis 52 (FIG. 5). The actuator comprises an elongated hollow body 53, filled with lead or some other heavy material terminating in a flange 54 at one end of the body 53. The flange 54 extends below the weighted body portion 5-3 and the lower end of the flange defines the axis of rotation 52 of the actuator. As a result of the just described arrangement the actuator 51 is positioned relative to the switch 50* by the force of gravity so that the switch is normally closed when the forces acting on the weighted 'body 53 hold it down as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In this position the actuator cam 56 (FIG. 5) pushes lever 55 so that switch 50 is closed. When the position of the base portion 6 of the floor polisher is positioned for changing brushes the flange 54 is pivoted by the weight 53 into a vertical plane in which position the cam 56 moves away from lever 55 and the switch 51 is opened by a spring attached to the lever 55.

The arrow H in FIG. 4 indicates a force applied to the flange 54 by a projection on the handle (not shown) to open the switch 50 when the handle is in its vertical position. As a result the switch 50 is manually opened when the handle is in its vertical position and is automatically opened when the floor care machine is laid on its side for changing brushes.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show details of construction of the driving drum of the spring motor in which the pinion 44 is formed as a discrete part and attached to the hub 43a of the driving drum 43 by means of a self-threading nut of known type. The hub 43a is provided with an annular recess adjacent its free end for receiving the pinion and defining a shoulder 43b against which the pinion is axially positioned on the hub. A plurality of ribs 430 extend radially beyond the free end of the hub and terminate in posts 44a onto which the self-threading nut may be attached to hold the pinion against shoulder 43b. Alternatively the posts 44a may be deformed by a hot tool for the same purpose, however the self-threading nut is preferred since it allows removal of defective parts dis covered in quality control and inspection. The pinion 43 may be hollow to provide radial resiliency if desired, or as indicated in FIG. 9 the pinion 43 may be rigidified by radially spaced ribs 44b.

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 13 and 14, the tray 32 of the cordwinder provides an annular well for receiving the cord reel 35. The inner wall 320 (FIG. 13) of the tray 32 is filleted for strengthening the tray and the fillet is recessed to define the inner races 32d of the ball bearing 33 (FIG. 14). The ball bearing comprises a ball retainer 33a and a series of spaced balls 33b held in apertures 33c of the retainer. The ball retainer 33a is discontinuous for quick and easy insertion in the well of the tray 32 in position on the inner ball race 32d. The reel 35 is provided with an inwardly directed outer ball race 35a receving the balls 33b. As a result the tray 32 and reel 35 are spaced from one another and the weight of the reel and associated cord is borne by the ball hearing.

The foregoing detailed description of the various parts of the floor care machine already described are shown in assembled relation in FIGS. 11 and 12 but further description thereof would be redundant and is therefore omitted.

What is claimed is:

1. A cordwinder comprising an inner wall. and outer wall interconnected by a bottom wall for defining an annular well, said outer wall having a channel cord outlet openings communicating with said well, an inwardly extending fillet at the intersection of said inner and bottom walls, said fillet having a recess for defining an inner ball race; a cord reel having a pair of radially extending spaced parallel flanges extending from a hub portion of said cord reel, an annular recess between said hub portion and one of said flanges for defining an outer ball race opposite said inner ball race, and a ball bearing interposed between said inner and outer ball races; said ball bearing having a frustoconical ball retainer, said ball retainer having a plurality of angularly spaced apertures of rectangular configuration, a first pair of opposed surfaces defining each said aperture, a recess in each of said surfaces extending axially of said member for defining a pair of lips at each of said first surfaces, said lips being coextensive with said surfaces and adapted to receive and hold a ball therebetween, a second pair of opposed surfaces defining said aperture, said second surfaces being spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of said ball for allowing the ball a degree of freedom of movement in one direction within said aperture; a face gear integral with the hub portion of said cord reel, and spring motor means having frusto-conical gear meshed with said face gear.

2. A cordwinder according to claim 1 wherein said spring motor gear meshes with said face gear in in skew axis relation to said face gear.

6 3. A cordwinder according to claim 2 wherein the another, and means for connecting said rim on said spring teeth of said face gear are straight and non-radial with t r gear hub. respect to said hub and the teeth of said spring motor References Cited gear are straight and non-axial with respect to the cone UNITED STATES PATENTS of said spring motor gear- 5 3,275,760 9/1966 Gaudry.

4. A cordwinder according to claim 3 wherein said spring motor gear comprises a cylindrical hub portion ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner having a take-up drum adjacent one axial end thereof, LIBMAN, Assistant Examiner and a discrete rim having said teeth integral therewith connected adjacent the opposite axial end of said hub porlo U.S. Cl. X.R. tion, said drum and rim being axially spaced from one 

